
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
7-2 Infotainment System
To minimize taking your eyes off the
road while driving, do the following
while the vehicle is parked:
.Become familiar with the
operation and controls of the
audio system.
.Set up the tone, speaker
adjustments, and preset radio
stations.
For more information, see Defensive
Driving on page 9‑2.
This vehicle's infotainment system
may be equipped with a noise
reduction system which can work
improperly if the audio amplifier,
engine calibrations, exhaust system,
microphones, radio, or speakers are
modified or replaced. This could
result in more noticeable engine
noise at certain speeds. Notice:
Contact your dealer
before adding any equipment.
Adding audio or communication
equipment could interfere with
the operation of the vehicle's
engine, radio, or other systems,
and could damage them. Follow
federal rules covering mobile
radio and telephone equipment.
The vehicle has Retained
Accessory Power (RAP). With RAP,
the audio system can be played
even after the ignition is turned off.
See Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑31 for more
information.
Navigation System
For vehicles with a navigation
system, see the separate Navigation
System Manual.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
The theft-deterrent feature works by
learning a portion of the Vehicle
Identification Number (VIN) to the
infotainment system. The
infotainment system does not
operate if it is stolen or moved to a
different vehicle.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-9
Turning a Function On or Off
1. Turn the MENU/SEL knob tohighlight the function.
2. Press the MENU/SEL button to turn the function on or off.
Entering a Character Sequence
1. Turn the MENU/SEL knob to highlight the character.
2. Press the MENU/SEL button to select the character. Press the
}BACK button to delete
the last character in the sequence
or press and hold to delete the
entire character sequence.
Audio Settings
The audio settings can be set for
each radio band and each audio
player source.
To quickly reset an audio setting
value to 0:
1. Press the TONE button.
2. Select the audio setting.
3. Press and hold the MENU/SEL button until the value changes
to 0.
Press the
}BACK button to go
back to the Tone Settings menu. Adjusting the Treble, Midrange,
and Bass
1. Press the TONE button.
2. Select Treble, Midrange,
or Bass.
3. Select the value.
Press the
}BACK button to go
back to the Tone Settings menu.

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-11
Maximum Startup Volume
The maximum volume played when
the Radio with CD is first turned on
can be set.
1. Press the CONFIG button.
2. Select Radio Settings.
3. Select Maximum StartupVolume.
4. Select the setting.
5. Press the
}BACK button to
go back to the System
Configuration menu.
Radio
AM-FM Radio
Control Buttons
The buttons used to control the
radio are:
RADIO/BAND: Press to turn the
radio on and choose between AM,
FM, and XM™, if equipped.
MENU/SEL: Turn to manually
search for stations.
FAV: Press to open the
favorites list.
lSEEK orgSEEK: Press to
search for stations. Press and hold
to fast forward and rewind time
shifted data. See “Time Shifting
(Radio with CD/DVD and MEM)”
later in this section.
k: Press to pause and resume
time shifted data. See “Time Shifting
(Radio with CD/DVD and MEM)”
later in this section.
1 to 6: Press to select preset
stations.
RDS (Radio Data System)
The radio may have RDS. The RDS
feature is available for use only on
FM stations that broadcast RDS
information. This feature only works
when the information from the radio
station is available. In rare cases, a
radio station could broadcast
incorrect information that causes the
radio features to work improperly.
If this happens, contact the radio
station.
While the radio is tuned to an
FM-RDS station, the station name
or call letters display.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
7-14 Infotainment System
Press and releasegSEEK or
lSEEK to jump forward or back
30 seconds in the time shift buffer.
When the radio station is changed,
the buffer is cleared and
automatically restarted for the
current station. Content from a
previously tuned station is no longer
available.
The time shift feature is not
available while recording or with
other sources of playback.
Pausing AM/FM with the Vehicle
Turned Off
If AM/FM is paused when the
vehicle is turned off, the radio
continues to buffer the current radio
station for up to 20 minutes. If the
vehicle is turned back on within
20 minutes, the radio resumes
playback from the paused point.
Satellite Radio
Vehicles with an XM™ Satellite
Radio tuner and a valid XM Satellite
Radio subscription can receive
XM programming.
XM Satellite Radio Service
XM is a satellite radio service based
in the 48 contiguous United States
and 10 Canadian provinces. XM
Satellite Radio has a wide variety of
programming and commercial-free
music, coast-to-coast, and in
digital-quality sound. If XM service
needs to be reactivated, the radio
will display “No Subscription Please
Renew on channel XM1.” A service
fee is required to receive the XM
service. For more information,
contact XM at www.xmradio.com or
call 1-800-929-2100 in the U.S. and
www.xmradio.ca or call
1-877-438-9677 in Canada.
Control Buttons
The buttons used to control the
XM radio are:
RADIO/BAND: Press to turn the
radio on and choose between AM,
FM, and XM™, if equipped.
gSEEK /lSEEK: Press to go
to the previous or next station.
FAV: Press to open the
favorites list.
k: Press to pause and resume
time shifted data. See “Time Shifting
(Radio with CD/DVD and MEM)” in
this section.
1 to 6: Press to select preset
stations.
MENU/SEL: Turn to select stations.
Press to open the XM Satellite
Radio menu.

Black plate (45,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-45
Press and hold©or¨until“Tune”
displays. Continue to press
©or¨to
tune to an individual station. Tune
stays active until
©or¨has not
been pressed for several seconds.
If the front seat passengers are
listening to the radio, this function
may be inactive on some radios.
While listening to a disc, press
¨to
go to the next track or chapter on
the disc. Press
©to go back to the
start of the current track or chapter if
more than ten seconds have played.
If the front seat passengers are
listening to a disc, this function may
be inactive on some radios. Press
and hold
©or¨to fast reverse or
fast forward. When a DVD video menu is being
displayed, press
©or¨to cursor up
or down on the menu. Hold
©or¨to
cursor left or right on the menu.
PROG (Program): Press to go to
the next preset radio station or
channel set on the main radio. If the
front seat passengers are listening
to the radio, this function may be
inactive on some radios.
When a CD or DVD audio disc is
playing, press PROG to go to the
beginning of the disc or display disc
info. If the front seat passengers are
listening to a disc, this function may
be inactive on some radios. When a disc is playing in the CD or
DVD changer, press and hold
PROG to select the next disc,
if multiple discs are loaded. If the
front seat passengers are listening
to a disc, this function may be
inactive on some radios.
The PROG button may be used to
access the menu of an MP3. Once
in the menu, use
©or¨to make
selections.
When a DVD video menu is
displayed, press PROG, or press
and hold PROG to perform the
menu function, ENTER.

Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-37
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Be sure
the engine is not running at high
speed when shifting the vehicle.
D (Drive):This position is for
normal driving. It provides the best
fuel economy. If you need more
power for passing, and you are:
.Going less than 56 km/h
(35 mph), push the accelerator
pedal about halfway down.
.Going about 56 km/h (35 mph) or
more, push the accelerator all
the way down.
Notice: If the vehicle seems to
accelerate slowly or not shift
gears when you go faster, and
you continue to drive the vehicle
that way, you could damage the
transmission. Have the vehicle
serviced right away.
M (Manual Mode): Allows the
driver to select the range of gear
positions. See Manual Mode on
page 9‑37.
Manual Mode
Electronic Range Select
(ERS) Mode
ERS or manual mode allows for the
selection of the range of gear
positions. Use this mode when
driving downhill or towing a trailer to
limit the top gear and vehicle speed.
The shift position indicator within
the Driver Information Center (DIC)
will display a number next to the
M indicating the highest available
gear under manual mode and the
driving conditions when manual
mode was selected.
To use this feature:
1. Move the shift lever to M (Manual Mode).
2. Press the plus/minus button on the shift lever, to increase or
decrease the gear range
available. When shifting to M (Manual Mode),
the transmission will shift to a preset
lower gear range. For this preset
range, the highest gear available is
displayed next to the M in the DIC.
See
Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑22 for more information.
All gears below that number are
available to use. For example, when
4 (Fourth) is shown next to the M,
1 (First) through 4 (Fourth) gears are
shifted automatically. To shift to
5 (Fifth) gear, press the + (Plus)
button or shift into D (Drive).
M (Manual Mode) will prevent
shifting to a lower gear range if the
engine speed is too high. If vehicle
speed is not reduced within the time
allowed, the lower gear range shift
will not be completed. Slow the
vehicle, then press the −(Minus)
button to the desired lower gear
range.
While using the ERS, cruise control
can be used.

Black plate (42,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
9-42 Driving and Operating
When this message is displayed
and
dcomes on and stays on, the
vehicle is safe to drive but the
system is not operational. Driving
should be adjusted accordingly.
Notice: Do not repeatedly brake
or accelerate heavily when TCS is
off. The vehicle's driveline could
be damaged.
If
dcomes on and stays on, reset
the system by:
1. Stopping the vehicle.
2. Turning the engine off and waiting 15 seconds.
3. Starting the engine.
If
dstill comes on and stays on at a
speed above 20 km/h (13 mph), see
your dealer for service.
A chime may also sound when the
light comes on steady.
The
gis located on the console.
The TCS off light comes on and
TRACTION CONTROL OFF is
displayed on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) to indicate that the
traction control system has been
turned off. See Ride Control System
Messages on page 5‑30.
TCS can be turned off by pressing
and releasing
g. When TCS is
turned off,
icomes on and the
system will not limit wheel spin.
Driving should be adjusted
accordingly. Press and release
g
again to turn the system back on.
When TCS is turned off on AWD
vehicles, the system may still make
noise. This is normal and necessary
with AWD hardware. It may be necessary to turn the
system off if the vehicle ever gets
stuck in sand, mud or snow and
rocking the vehicle is required. See
If the Vehicle is Stuck on page 9‑22
for more information. See also
Winter Driving on page 9‑20
for
information on using TCS when
driving in snowy or icy conditions.
If cruise control is being used when
TCS activates, cruise control will
automatically disengage. Press the
cruise control button to re‐engage
when road conditions allow. See
Cruise Control on page 9‑44.
Adding non‐GM accessories can
affect the vehicle's performance.
See Accessories and Modifications
on page 10‑3 for more information.

Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-43
StabiliTrak®System
The vehicle has a vehicle stability
enhancement system called
StabiliTrak. It is an advanced
computer controlled system that
assists with directional control of the
vehicle in difficult driving conditions.
StabiliTrak activates when the
computer senses a difference
between the intended path and the
direction the vehicle is actually
traveling. StabiliTrak selectively
applies braking pressure to the
vehicle's brakes to help steer the
vehicle in the intended direction.
StabiliTrak is on automatically
whenever the vehicle is started. To
assist with directional control of the
vehicle, the system should always
be left on.
When the stability control system
activates, the Traction Control
System (TCS)/StabiliTrak light will
flash on the instrument panel. This
also occurs when traction control is
activated. A noise may be heard or
vibration may be felt in the brake
pedal. This is normal. Continue to
steer the vehicle in the intended
direction.
If there is a problem detected with
StabiliTrak, SERVICE
STABILITRAK is displayed on the
Driver Information Center (DIC) and
dwill stay on. SeeVehicle
Messages on page 5‑26. When this
message is displayed and/or
d
comes on and stays on, the vehicle
is safe to drive but the system is not
operational. Driving should be adjusted
accordingly. See
Ride Control
System Messages on page 5‑30.
If
dcomes on and stays on, reset
the system by:
1. Stopping the vehicle.
2. Turning the engine off and waiting 15 seconds.
3. Starting the engine.
If
dstill comes on and stays on at a
speed above 20 km/h (13 mph), see
your dealer for service.
gis located on the console.